Gard hooked me up!

I was looking for another GS112 cab last week so I called Gard at Bass Central and told him about the best price I had be quoted and he matched it no problem. I got to talking with him and he sold me on a Lakland Skyline 55-01 that he had in the store. I had recently sold my only fretted bass,so I was definitely in the market. Even though I was wary of buying a Korean bass,he made me a package deal that was really amazing so I jumped on it. He ended up giving me a much better deal than I found anywhere else.
Well,I got my gear today and I'm really stoked. The Skyline is one of the best deals on the market,hands down. Mine is natural finish with a maple board.It sounds really fat,warm,and punchy with just the right amount of growl.
And now I have an Eden Traveler Plus 400 with 2 GS112's. I'm set for quite a while.
It always pays to shop around and find the best deal,but I will always go back to someone who makes an extra effort to make sure you get what you want at the right price.

Originally posted by Bottomdweller
It always pays to shop around and find the best deal,but I will always go back to someone who makes an extra effort to make sure you get what you want at the right price.

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Agreed! Gard is a great guy to work with. I bet your new rig rocks cake!

Glad you dig the bass Bottomdweller, those things are impressive. Eventually, I plan on getting a basic 55-02 (no fancy top) with a fretted maple board, just to have it. They sound and play wonderful.

Nino, I'm keepin' an eye out for the Skyline JO basses, as soon as they show up, you'll get a PM! (I feel like a drug dealer, feedin' your habit!)

Originally posted by dancehallclasher gard, if you're in the mood for constructive criticism - you guys really need to overhaul that website, it's a big turnoff.

but, i'm sure the store is fabulous and i'd really like to go there sometime.

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Well, DHC....gimme some constructive criticism to work with, we're always in the mood for suggestions to be better! For the record, you are in the extreme minority with your opinion of the website, almost everyone has positive comments. That's not saying it can't be improved, so if you have ideas, share 'em!

The store is pretty cool, I still kinda pinch myself when I walk in in the mornings..."do I REALLY work here???" Definitely come by if you ever get the chance, TBer's are always welcome!

Hey Gard,
I'm not sure if you're hip to the Suhr preamp, but it's a direct drop in for any Lakland (US or Skyline). They're built by John Suhr of Pensa-Suhr fame and Carey Nordstrand. It is also available w/ or w/o a passive tone rolloff (a la Pope/HazLab). It sounds hauntingly like the F Bass preamp!! They can be had at suhrguitars.com for about 95-100$. I'm not a big fan of the Bartolini preamp...it's not bad, but for less dough you can have a better mousetrap. It definitely sounds more open and transparent. I know it's hard to describe the sound difference, but it's a major step up from the Bartolini circuit. Call him, and I'm sure he'll send you a comp one to try out...they're very cool there. I have a couple of them, and they easily have the versatility of the Pope/HazLab at a third the OEM price!

well, to be general, i would say "less is more" but i will try to list specifics.

first and foremost, the color scheme is not very pleasing. blue plus yellow plus neon green plus red... you've got a lot of contrasting stuff, and while that may seem like a good idea because stuff stands out, you have EVERYTHING standing out, which is disorienting.

the front page: the "customer comments" link runs into the words "about our web page." i don't like the moving list. just about anything that moves in website design is a bad idea, in my opinion. the pictures of beaver and dave with the raggedy neon outlines are too early 90's. and when i first visited the site i honestly spent a long time wondering "well how the heck do i get to the products??" before i noticed the little red bar at the bottom.

the customer pictures page is better, but maybe you should use thumbnails or split it into multiple pages so low-speed users don't get killed.

as for the text-based pages like "satisfaction policy" see my comments about color scheme. also, when you use italics on ALL the text, it loses its impact. italics/bold/underline should be reserved for a specific thing that you want to emphasize. of course, underline shouldn't be used at all because it looks like a link.

the basses and amps pages: the "bass jump menu" is irritating. same for the "amp jump menu" which comes up on inappropriate pages such as "string club" and "accessories."

the ads for warwick and musicman specials and the monthly specials make the pages too busy.

for an example of what i like in a webpage, check out Gibson's site. very simple, quiet tones, no huge text. it's elegant. the kind of design your site has might be good for an eye-grabbing ad in a magazine, but the customer is already at your site. you don't need to grab them by the hair.

keep in mind that i'm just trying to help and please don't hate me forever.

Originally posted by Bottomdweller I was looking for another GS112 cab last week so I called Gard at Bass Central and told him about the best price I had be quoted and he matched it no problem. I got to talking with him and he sold me on a Lakland Skyline 55-01 that he had in the store. I had recently sold my only fretted bass,so I was definitely in the market. Even though I was wary of buying a Korean bass,he made me a package deal that was really amazing so I jumped on it. He ended up giving me a much better deal than I found anywhere else.
Well,I got my gear today and I'm really stoked. The Skyline is one of the best deals on the market,hands down. Mine is natural finish with a maple board.It sounds really fat,warm,and punchy with just the right amount of growl.
And now I have an Eden Traveler Plus 400 with 2 GS112's. I'm set for quite a while.
It always pays to shop around and find the best deal,but I will always go back to someone who makes an extra effort to make sure you get what you want at the right price.

Click to expand...

When did you order the Skyline? I think I might have played that one on Saturday if you ordered since then....if not, I've played the same thing. Nice basses. Hella nice basses. I was particularly impressed with the range of tones capable on those things. Definitely Lakland property there.

I agree with DHC's constructive criticism and it's not just because we both play Rumblefishes! Gibson's site is indeed classy and inviting without being gaudy. Perhaps an update would attract new customers...

Yeah, Gard is the tops. I called him and asked him about a 5501 deluxe with a bag and shipping.
Also asked him if I could pay it out and he said no prob and is working with me.
I called him at the store and put 200 down on it on my card. I am paying it out.
He is the tops cause he is able to help me get the best deal on it, including a bag and shipping and handling.

The critique should go to the web guy. Web sites are always in a continual state of evolution to stay customer friendly and seemless. As far as the store goes and the customer service rendered by the sales people, BassCentral is top notch.

Hey Gard, just curious; I see that Bass Central is the only authorized dealer of Carvin gear outside of California.
I was just wondering; do you sell a lot of it?
What do you think of their gear personally?
Thanks!

Your comments are in an e-mail which is winding it's way to myself, the webdude, and the head cheese. No one will hate you, not even for a second. We're all out to provide the best possible service for customers. Thanks for the input!

And thanks for the kind comments, everyone! I'd like to point out that almost every customer we have the pleasure to deal with is a pure joy. It makes good customer service something that is as fun and enjoyable for us at BC as shopping there does for the customer, hopefully. There are always "bad apples" but they are very few and far between in the bass world it seems!

Except for those guys Brendan and Brad....wadda coupla time wasters!!!!

Yep..major props to Gard. I bought my Spector NS5CRFM from Gard and he made the transaction very easy. I got my bass 3 days later and it was better than advertised. They even put my ugly, no talent, poor technique, mug on their customer pictures page. I will deal with Gard and Bass Central again without hesitation.